Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

To Austinites, it is no secret that many residents are busy spending their time making the city and the world a better place but now, Austin is showing the rest of the country as well. Forbes' 30 Under 30 Class of 2021, which was released this week, features six Austinites who've made an impact in their respective industries, all under 30 years old.
Of the 600 total individuals on the list, from innovators to athletes to musicians, Austin has it all—just take it from these guys.
Alex Le Roux, 28
Humbled to be included in #ForbesUnder30 class of 2021!Feeling lucky to be inspired & challenged every day. Gratefu… https://t.co/mrqDa4hKtZ— Alexander Le Roux (@Alexander Le Roux) 1606886679.0
A Baylor University graduate and Austin resident, Alex Le Roux is changing the landscape of home building as we know it. Le Roux created the Vulcan, a 12-foot-tall 3D printer that can build houses entirely out of concrete in less than 24 hours for up to 30% cheaper. So far, Austin is home to 16 houses made by Le Roux's startup, Icon, which he founded alongside Evan Loomis and Jason Ballard, both over 30. Now, Icon is creating the first 3D-printed community for low income families in Mexico, has a contract to 3D-print barracks for the Department of Defense and is working with NASA to build structures on the moon.
Amobi Okugo, 29
Amobi Okugo may play defense for Austin Bold FC in his day job but aside from working on the field, he is working behind it. Born in California to Nigerian parents, Okugo has lived all over the country and now hangs his hat in Austin. Okugo founded A Frugal Athlete, a financial literacy company designed to help educate professional athletes on how to handle and maximize their profits, and runs the Ok U Go Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children discover their passions and become more active in their communities.
Conan Gray, 21
We felt like today was when we needed to relive when @ConanGray played #Heather during his Celebrity Session on… https://t.co/1rw4e1sqku— SiriusXM Hits 1 (@SiriusXM Hits 1) 1605139898.0
Hailing from Georgetown, Conan Gray started making music via YouTube when he was just 12 years old. Though Gray lives in Los Angeles now, he spent his "rough" childhood moving around the U.S., eventually settling in Texas, where he became inspired to write music. Gray has been praised by music legends like Taylor Swift and Elton John for his musical prowess, named an up-and-coming artist by MTV, YouTube and Apple; and sold out tours all over the world. Gray is best known for the tracks "Maniac" and "Heather" off his first full-length album "Kid Krow," which was released this year.
Graham Gaylor, 29
Self-proclaimed wearer-of-many-hats, Graham Gaylor co-founded VRChat, a virtual world-builder turned social network for its 9 million users to congregate in, in 2015. With over 20,000 users at any given time, VRChat users have created over 25,000 worlds and numbers are growing every day. Some people even use the platform to create skit-based narrative content on YouTube and Twitch. VRChat is taking off and has raised $20 million from backers like Rothenberg Ventures, GFR Fund and more.
Renji Bijoy, 29
🎉It's such an honor and a privilege to be elected as this year's @forbes 30 Under 30! 🔥🚀 So grateful for the innova… https://t.co/SQprd6j80f— Renji Bijoy 🚀 (@Renji Bijoy 🚀) 1606831633.0
Renji Bijoy, on the other hand, is providing a different use for VR. Bijoy founded Immersed, a company that partnered with Facebook to build VR office and productivity spaces with the tagline "be remote together" just in the nick of time for COVID-19. With $35 million in venture backing, the former Techstars company is bringing the office to you in a safe, yet familiar, way.
Skler Mapes, 28
Skyler Mapes' Italian husband grew up on an olive tree orchard, so when he couldn't have his Calabrian olive oil to cook with in Texas, it was a disappointment. The couple set out to rectify that issue by moving to Italy, harvest, mill, bottle, produce and export their own olive oil: EXAU olive oil. Now, you can get Italian olive oil in Austin—if you're fast enough—because there is a waitlist. EXAU's oil has been featured on the Food Network, Taste, TMZ and named one of Oprah's Favorite Things.
Austin is making a name for itself, special thanks to the movers and shakers of today.
- 8 Austin billionaires make a return to the Forbes 400 list - austonia ›
- Local billionaire Kendra Scott takes seat on ABC Shark Tank ... ›
- Robert Smith makes deal in exchange for informing on business ... ›
- Who is Nate Paul, the real estate investor linked to abuse-of-office ... ›
- Boomtown Austin has first series of 3D-printed homes in east - austonia ›
- Tour: Austin-based ICON unveils first look at 3D-printed home - austonia ›
- Forbes 400 names seven Austin billionaires and two bite the dust - austonia ›
- Meet the 23 Austin entrepreneurs on Forbes’ Next 1000 list - austonia ›
Popular
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police are investigating the killing of Moriah "Mo" Wilson after she was found with gunshot wounds inside an Austin home.
Wilson, a gravel and mountain bike racer, was visiting Austin from Colorado in preparation for the Gravel Locos race on Saturday taking place in Hico, a small town 2 hours from Austin.
On Wednesday, her roommate came home and found Wilson unresponsive with "a lot of blood near her,” police said. It is now being investigated as a suspicious death. No further information on the suspect or motive behind the killing are available at this time.
Wilson recently had become a full-time biker after winning a slew of races in the past year.
(Pexels)
Some of your favorite Instagram filters can’t be used in Texas anymore and Austinites are sounding off on social media.
Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, announced on Wednesday that certain filters would no longer be available in Texas.
The change is a result of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company uses facial recognition technology that violates laws in Texas. A release from Meta says it stopped using facial recognition tech in November 2021 and denies Paxton’s allegations.
Some Austinites bemoaned the shift, saying some of their favorite filters were now unavailable.
This was my FAVORITE filter on @instagram and they done removed it cause I’m in Texas ! Like wowwwwww pic.twitter.com/uX60hdIC0Q
— Pinkyy Montana (@inkstar_pinkyy) May 11, 2022
i heard that instagram filters got banned in texas? what the actual fuck y’all better give me my favorite filter back
— lia 🤍 (@liatootrill) May 11, 2022
loved this stupid filter sm i hate texas pic.twitter.com/DXr9mmUc64
— birthday boy jeno 🎂 (@beabtox) May 12, 2022
But more often than not, locals joked about the ban.
Texas women seeing the filter ban on IG pic.twitter.com/yDMcP3Qtsr
— Christian (Anabolic) Flores (@christian_flo24) May 11, 2022
So, the state of Texas has banned filter use on IG? THE END IS NEAR. 😂
— THE FRANCHISE! Франшиза (@NYCFranchise718) May 12, 2022
And some in-between chose to show off some natural beauty.
I live in Texas, but no filter needed. 😉 pic.twitter.com/A6teRgYMKn
— bad and bruja (@starseedmami) May 11, 2022
filter, no filter..texas women still reign supreme.
— 🎍 (@_sixile) May 11, 2022
Finally, some are trying to cash in on the opportunity.
Texas IG users- if you want to filter your picture cashapp me $1.50 $ErvnYng
— Gemini (@ervn_y) May 11, 2022
Meta said it plans to create an opt-in system for both Texas and Illinois residents, who are facing the same issues.